The banana diaries

Hey, kids!

Welcome back from the long weekend! How was your Labor Day? My weekend was filled with lots of exploring, walking around the city, and catching up with old friends. Not a bad way to kick off the lovely month of September (side note: my birthday is in t-minus 6 days!!).

There was a lot of going out to eat, but there was a lot of cooking too!

Check out this bad boy. Steamed asparagus, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, and red cabbage over a bed of arugula and mesclun, topped with olive oil, sea salt, cumin, and apple cider vinegar. Underneath that little red cabbage leaf, there was salmon mixed with yams, and on the side, a small baked sweet potato topped with olive oil and cinnamon. And yes, I ate every. last. bite.

Of course, no weekend is complete without a trip to Van Leewuen's! I got the vegan dark chocolate and vegan peanut butter chocolate chip, topped with hot fudge and sprinkles (because I am 5-years-old at heart). It was incredible. I wish that my cup was bottomless and I could just keep going. But alas, my stomach felt otherwise haha!

Now that the weekend is over and everyone getting back to the grind, I wanted to share my Kale-Berry smoothie with you guys!

Made with bananas (of course), strawberries, almond butter, almond milk, and kale, it's a simple smoothie that gets the job done. Kale is one of those foods that is extremely high in iron, making it a great source for our vegan friends out there! It's also high in calcium too, which is essential for bone strength (alluding to my stress fractures again...damn weak bones). Adding in the almond butter is extremely important, as it allows the calcium and iron to be digested, so if you're not a fan of almond butter or have a nut allergy, I would suggest adding coconut oil or sunflower seed butter!